"There are no extra evidence. But al-Baghdadi’s elimination, although an important aspect, is not the end of anti-terrorism fight. The goal is the same, regardless of whether this leader has been neutralized or not. This goal is to uproot the terrorism threat coming from Syria," he said.

According to the Russian diplomat, Moscow would want closer international anti-terrorism cooperation and calls for consolidation of efforts on that track.

Russia’s defense ministry reported earlier that al-Baghdadi had been presumably killed in a Russian airstrike on Raqqa’s southern suburb. According to the ministry, the airstrike was delivered overnight to May 28 on a command post where Islamic State leaders were discussing exit routes for militants from Raqqa through the so-called southern corridor.